Chapter Summaries

Fang Yun instructed Xiang Prefecture’s officials in governance, prompting some to advance in rank as they listened. His teaching transformed the Baling City Literary Academy’s apricot trees into a Little Apricot Altar, a sacred land revered by all the Hundred Schools.

• Fang Yun reviewed the affairs of Xiang Prefecture’s administrations and taught officials a more effective approach to governance.
• An elderly Metropolitan Graduate official advanced his literary guts to the second realm, and a middle-aged Metropolitan Graduate became a Hanlin Academician.
• Scholars gathered outside Baling City’s Literary Academy, while Great Scholars tried and failed to hear Fang Yun’s teaching.
• Two apricot trees in the Literary Academy Square rapidly grew through the seasons and rose to a hundred feet tall.
• Great Scholars recognized that Fang Yun had created a Little Apricot Altar while still a Grand Academician.

In Yuan County, residents celebrated Liu Shan’s removal from office while he gathered allies at Falling Waterfall Valley and planned his return to power. Their confidence faltered when they learned Fang Yun had formed a Little Apricot Altar by guiding officials in government affairs.

• Residents of Yuan County resented Liu Shan over unequal grave-relocation rules and punishments, and they celebrated when he returned home to observe mourning and the county magistrate was arrested.
• Liu Shan met with allies at Falling Waterfall Valley, who urged him to cultivate until he could become a Great Scholar and reclaim influence in Jing Kingdom.
• Liu Shan’s supporters predicted that Fang Yun would lose influence after resigning and discussed threats from Qing Kingdom and the Barbarian Race.
• Liu Shan checked his Marquis Seal as his allies secretly learned that Fang Yun had formed a Little Apricot Altar in Baling City.
• Liu Shan’s allies worried when they realized Fang Yun had formed the altar by guiding Xiang Prefecture’s officials in government affairs.

Fang Yun’s lecture created a Little Apricot Altar, an Enlightenment Sacred Land that secured the Xiang Prefecture officials’ loyalty and gave his influence a lasting foundation. Liu Shan recognized that Xiang Prefecture now belonged to Fang Yun’s sphere of power.

• The chapter explained Yi Zhishi’s standing as the fourth person to hear Sage Kong’s lingering voice and become a true disciple of Sage Kong.
• Fang Yun’s teachings caused two apricot trees to grow into a Little Apricot Altar, establishing a sacred land of enlightenment in Falling Waterfall Valley.
• The scholars recognized that everyone who had heard Fang Yun’s lecture would have to honor him as their teacher, and the attending officials and their descendants received free entry to the altar.
• Liu Shan lamented that Xiang Prefecture now bore Fang Yun’s surname, while the valley’s scholars understood that the prefecture’s vast population could make it a major source of Fang Yun’s influence.

Fang Yun’s lecture raised the Little Apricot Altar, giving those inside a rare chance to advance while officials he had expelled regretted rejecting him. The chapter left the gathered officials resolved to follow Fang Yun as they listened to his practical lessons on governance.

• Fang Yun lectured, and two apricot trees grew into the Little Apricot Altar, prompting powers across the grasslands to send envoys to Xiang Prefecture.
• The officials expelled from the Literary Academy realized they had lost their chance to enter the Enlightenment Sacred Land and regretted choosing distance from Fang Yun.
• A Metropolitan Graduate official’s literary guts cracked as he recognized that his neutrality had cost him the opportunity Fang Yun could have offered.
• Scholars outside the Literary Academy watched the official collapse and resolved to follow Fang Yun closely.
• Fang Yun taught the officials inside the Sacred Land about governance, and they listened attentively and recognized the lecture’s value to their advancement.

Fang Yun’s lecture caused the two apricot trees in the Literary Academy to bloom, forming a Little Apricot Altar Sacred Land as officials discussed Jing Kingdom’s rising prospects and Fang Yun’s growing influence. After answering the final question, Fang Yun suppressed an imminent promotion to Great Scholar, while the officials realized the sacred apricot fragrance meant a Little Apricot Altar had formed around them.

• Fang Yun’s lecture made golden characters flow over the two apricot trees, which bloomed with Sacred Apricot Blossoms.
• Scholars outside the Literary Academy discussed Jing Kingdom’s gains, the three hundred thousand soldiers’ examination opportunities, and the prospect that they would become Fang Yun’s disciples.
• The officials listened as Fang Yun continued teaching through the afternoon and answered their questions.
• Fang Yun fell silent and closed his eyes after answering the final question, and Dong Wencong secretly told the officials that Fang Yun was suppressing an imminent promotion to Great Scholar.
• The officials smelled apricot blossoms, saw the two trees, and realized a Little Apricot Altar Sacred Land had formed.

Fang Yun touched the edge of the Sacred Way and witnessed the Sea of Great Suns and the stairway of Supreme Radiance. After towering figures on the stairway turned to look at him, his vision shattered and he returned to his Literary Palace, unable to remember their faces or the mountain’s summit.

• Fang Yun closed his eyes and found himself surrounded by a transparent dome amid a boundless sea of flames.
• Fang Yun realized the flames were the Sea of Great Suns, a manifestation of the Sacred Way, and felt close to entering the ranks of Great Scholars.
• Fang Yun saw the suns gather into a golden mountain with a stairway of Supreme Radiance rising to its summit.
• Fang Yun watched countless towering figures on the stairway stop climbing and turn to look at him, causing his vision to shatter.
• Fang Yun returned to his Literary Palace, forgot the figures’ appearances and the summit, then opened his eyes to the scent of autumn leaves and apricot blossoms.

Fang Yun formed a Little Apricot Altar at the Literary Academy in Baling and used his power to enclose it within a grove of apricot trees. After absorbing its sacred blossoms, he learned that envoys from other nations and prestigious families had gathered to compete for access to it.

• Fang Yun realized that his lecture had created a Little Apricot Altar and said he would soon leave his post as governor-general of Xiang Prefecture.
• Dong Wencong proposed renaming Baling City Yueyang, while Fang Yun left the decision to local officials.
• Fang Yun used the Ji King's Seal to move apricot trees into the Literary Academy Square and form a mist-shrouded grove around the altar.
• Sacred apricot blossoms entered Fang Yun's Literary Palace, strengthening it and repairing marks and cracks in his literary guts.
• Dong Wencong told Fang Yun that envoys from various nations and prestigious families had gathered outside to compete for the right to use the Little Apricot Altar.

Fang Yun and the Literary Academy officials cultivated inside the newly opened Little Apricot Altar while envoys and powerful families gathered outside. Qing Kingdom offered grain in exchange for access to the altar, leaving Jing Kingdom's officials facing a three-year food dependency.

• Fang Yun dismissed the visitors' letters and began cultivating in the Little Apricot Altar, prompting the Literary Academy officials to join him.
• Envoys from the kingdoms and Great Scholars from hereditary families arrived in Baling City and waited outside the Literary Academy.
• Jiang Hechuan and Jing Kingdom's officials set up a bamboo shelter near the entrance while the other visitors lodged in cottages and huts.
• Xiang Shanling arrived with Qing Kingdom's senior officials and clashed verbally with Jing Kingdom's officials before addressing Jiang Hechuan.
• Xiang Shanling offered to exchange Qing Kingdom's grain for places at the Little Apricot Altar, and Jing Kingdom's officials recognized how the offer could exploit their food shortages.

Qing Kingdom threatened to cut off Jing Kingdom’s grain supply and force it into a trade war, but Fang Yun rejected its leverage by promising to supply grain and introduce the Bloodmang Realm’s high-yield crops and livestock. The chapter ended with the officials realizing that Jing Kingdom’s harvests could soon transform.

• Xiang Shanling defended Qing Kingdom’s threatened grain embargo as ordinary business, while Jiang Hechuan warned that it could amount to a declaration of war.
• Jiang Hechuan recognized that Qing Kingdom’s pressure could destabilize Jing Kingdom and force Fang Yun away from his cultivation to govern.
• Fang Yun arrived at the Literary Academy and silenced the Qing Kingdom officials with his formidable presence.
• Fang Yun declared that Jing Kingdom would buy no more grain from Qing Kingdom and promised to use military merits to obtain grain and distribute aquatic produce.
• Fang Yun revealed that the Bloodmang Realm’s high-yield crops, vegetables, poultry, livestock, and fruit would be introduced across the Saint Origin Continent next year.

Fang Yun rejected Qing Kingdom’s attempt to gain access to the Little Apricot Altar through a gift of whale emperor ambergris. After Xiang Shanling challenged him to prove he had better ambergris, Fang Yun produced a huge, foul-smelling piece, which Qing Kingdom’s envoy claimed could not be genuine white-jade ambergris.

• Xiang Shanling questioned Fang Yun’s claim that grain yields would double, and Fang Yun said Jing Kingdom’s harvest next year would prove it.
• Xiang Shanling presented whale emperor ambergris as a congratulatory gift and sought entry to the Little Apricot Altar for Qing Kingdom’s people.
• Fang Yun called the ambergris’s quality poor and said that offering it as a gift was a provocation.
• Xiang Shanling demanded that Fang Yun produce better ambergris or answer for insulting Qing Kingdom.
• Fang Yun revealed a much larger, pure-white piece of ambergris that stank, and a Qing Kingdom official challenged its authenticity.

Fang Yun exposed the Qing Kingdom’s attempt to flaunt whale emperor ambergris by revealing his sacred dragon ambergris, then humiliated Xiang Shanling and sent the Qing officials away. He turned to receiving visiting Great Scholars and arranging access to the Little Apricot Altar while awaiting the Sacred Apricots and the opening of Burial Saint Valley.

• A Kong Family Great Scholar and a Crafts Hall Grand Academician confirmed the rarity of Fang Yun’s sacred dragon ambergris and revealed that he had previously supplied an even higher-quality piece for sacred incense.
• Fang Yun rejected Xiang Shanling’s offer, declared that the Qing Kingdom was unwelcome, and used literary qi to shatter the whale emperor ambergris.
• Xiang Shanling and the Qing officials collected the fragments as observers laughed, and the Qing Kingdom’s scholars joined the wider ridicule of their officials.
• A Jing Kingdom official reported the earlier events to Fang Yun, who consulted Jiang Hechuan before meeting the visiting envoys and Great Scholars.
• Fang Yun devised a plan for Little Apricot Altar admissions, reserving some places and leaving recommendations to the Sacred Academy or Jing Kingdom while keeping the final decision for himself.
• Fang Yun stayed at the Governor-General’s Office to manage the altar’s affairs as families and kingdoms competed for places and he awaited the Sacred Apricots and Burial Saint Valley’s opening.

Fang Yun prepared for his journey to Burial Saint Valley, securing his family’s safety in the Bloodmang Realm and seeking power from Mountain Bearer. He left off collecting Mountain Bearer’s blood with a projection of the Spring and Autumn Brush.

• Zong Wude complained to Yan Yukong about the Qing Kingdom being excluded from the Little Apricot Altar, but Yan Yukong defended Fang Yun and vowed to visit after becoming a Grand Academician.
• Fang Yun gave Yang Yuhuan, Nunu, and Ao Huang private access to the Little Apricot Altar, where Yang Yuhuan studied while Nunu and Ao Huang slept.
• Fang Yun visited the Kong Family on Double Ninth Festival, then cultivated for twelve days in the Literary Star Dragon Noble Palace before preparing to enter Burial Saint Valley.
• Fang Yun sent Yang Yuhuan and his other close companions to the Bloodmang Realm and asked the Bloodmang Will to protect them.
• Fang Yun visited the realm’s core, where Mountain Bearer was absorbing its power, and used a projection of the Spring and Autumn Brush to harvest his blood into the Sea-Swallowing Shell.

Fang Yun gathered sacred blood from Mountain Bearer before joining the Human Race’s preparations for Burial Saint Valley. At the Western Sage Hall, he took the foremost seat as Yi Zhishi arrived, revealing that he had begun his final advance toward the Sacred Way.

• Fang Yun drew more than a thousand drops of sacred blood from Mountain Bearer, then thanked him and returned to the Saint Origin Continent.
• Fang Yun learned that Sky-Splitting Cloud had appeared over Mount Ten Thousand Deaths and that the Human Race was assembling for Burial Saint Valley.
• Fang Yun joined thirty-three other Great Scholars in the Western Sage Hall, where he reflected on Sage Kong’s calligraphy and saw rivals and allies among the attendees.
• Yi Zhishi entered the hall barefoot, and the Great Scholars realized that he had begun his final step toward the Sacred Way.
• Yi Zhishi sat in the foremost seat on the right while Fang Yun remained in the foremost seat on the left.

Liu Sidao convened the Human Race’s Great Scholars to discuss Burial Saint Valley and urged Fang Yun and Yi Zhishi to stay behind. After they read a book of hidden valley secrets, the gathering ended with a warning to avoid internal conflict, while Fang Yun suspected Lei Konghe possessed power linked to an extinct Ancient Demon race.

• Liu Sidao asked Fang Yun and Yi Zhishi to leave the discussion because their deaths in Burial Saint Valley would be an immense loss to the Human Race.
• Liu Sidao distributed a secret book to the thirty-four Great Scholars, and Fang Yun discovered it contained knowledge he had not encountered before.
• Liu Sidao asked the Great Scholars to set aside internal strife and follow the Death Ladder, naming the Demon Barbarians as their enemy.
• The Great Scholars focused their attention on Lei Konghe and Zong Wenxiong, while Fang Yun examined Lei Konghe’s unusual eyes.
• Fang Yun suspected Lei Konghe had gained abilities from the extinct Sinking Cloud race and feared he might possess its Great Dragon-Devouring Technique.

The Great Scholars debated whether to undertake the Death Ladder and warned the group about the dangers of the Burial Saint Valley, especially the threat to Fang Yun. Zong Wenxiong proposed that they pool their knowledge of the valley to leave a legacy for future generations, and Weng Shi supported him.

• Weng Shi argued that orders from the Western Sage Pavilion should not outweigh the human race's interests, while Ye Hongyu rebuked him.
• Zong Wenxiong said that surviving the Burial Saint Valley mattered more than collecting treasures, and Liu Sidao challenged him to compare his contribution with Fang Yun's.
• Lei Konghe called Fang Yun the next generation's Literary Grandmaster, disappointing Liu Sidao.
• Liu Sidao warned the Great Scholars to prioritize survival and cautioned Fang Yun that the demon barbarians might send him toward forbidden lands.
• Fang Yun said he would avoid recklessly entering a forbidden land but would explore one if he were confident he could emerge unharmed.
• Zong Wenxiong proposed that everyone share their knowledge of the Burial Saint Valley, and Weng Shi immediately supported him.

Fang Yun rebuffed Great Scholars who sought the secrets of the Dragon Race and ancient demons, then joined the human race’s preparations for Burial Saint Valley. As the expedition neared, the Demon Realm massed troops near Two Worlds Mountain, while Fang Yun expected to miss the first Saint Apricot Literary Assembly.

• Fang Yun challenged Zong Wenxiong and Weng Shi to accept the secrets he offered, then revealed that accepting would make them his attendant boys, silencing them.
• Fang Yun asked whether anyone else wanted the secrets of Burial Saint Valley, and no one answered.
• Liu Sidao resumed the discussion of Burial Saint Valley, where the human race would need sacred qi to use external objects and powers effectively.
• The Great Scholars entered the War Hall and each took a Literary Treasure before preparing at the Sacred Academy.
• The Demon Realm accelerated its troop buildup near Two Worlds Mountain, while the Jing Kingdom began settling the New Province with free land and seeds.
• Fang Yun wrote to Jiang Hechuan, asking him to convene the Saint Apricot Literary Assembly if Fang Yun could not attend.

Fang Yun learned that Lei Tingyu had unified the Sea-Cliff Ancient Land and was preparing to connect it permanently to the Saint Origin Continent, while the land’s strange changes had halted the appearance of Golden Sand City. On the tenth day of the tenth month, Fang Yun set out for the Burial Saint Valley and entered the Star Gate with other human scholars.

• Kong Delun told Fang Yun that Lei Tingyu had unified the Sea-Cliff Ancient Land and intended to open a permanent passage to the Sacred Academy.
• Fang Yun learned that Golden Sand City had not appeared and asked Ao Qingyue about the Sea-Cliff Ancient Land and its merfolk, but Ao Qingyue knew little about its changes.
• Fang Yun decided to investigate the Sea-Cliff Ancient Land after returning from the Burial Saint Valley and remained wary of the Lei Family.
• Ao Huang told Fang Yun that he would not enter the Burial Saint Valley, while Ao Yuwei would go and could help him if he encountered trouble.
• Fang Yun met Ye Hongyu and Tian Songshi on his way to the Star Gate, and Ye Hongyu said he wanted to cultivate amid the lightning of Thunderweave Mountain.
• Liu Sidao wished Fang Yun well, and Fang Yun stepped through the Star Gate toward the Burial Saint Valley.

The opening of Burial Saint Valley drew the Myriad Worlds Passages toward the valley, and Fang Yun fell into the Black-Red Mountain Range. Injured but recovering, he realized he had landed far from the Human Race's Blood Tomb Mausoleum.

• The two skeletal dragons formed a bone gate as 365 stars entered Burial Saint Valley, and the dragons and crossed clouds followed.
• Pale-white Myriad Worlds Passages appeared, and a voice announced that the Human Race and Ancient Demons could proceed to Burial Saint Valley.
• Fang Yun fell from the sky onto a black mountain, suffered several injuries, and found that he could not open his Sea-Swallowing Shell.
• Fang Yun used Literary Qi to camouflage himself, climbed to a mountaintop, and saw that he had landed in the vast Black-Red Mountain Range, far from the Blood Tomb Mausoleum.

Fang Yun surveyed Burial Saint Valley, captured sacred qi, and began forging his eighth Literary Platform while compiling History of the Ancient Demons. After consuming a strand of sacred qi to accelerate his work, he completed the history’s first two parts three days later.

• Fang Yun realized the route to the Human Race's Blood Tomb Mausoleum crossed the Ancient Demon Clan's Blood Tomb Mausoleum and multiple Forbidden Lands, so he decided to build his strength before pursuing the Sacred Mausoleum.
• Fang Yun sensed the sacred qi in the valley and captured his first strand after a quarter of an hour, then collected eleven strands while War-Poem Soldiers excavated a cave.
• Fang Yun concealed himself in the cave and used Dual-Mindedness to compile History of the Ancient Demons while attempting to forge his eighth Literary Platform.
• Fang Yun consumed a strand of sacred qi, which greatly improved his faculties and writing speed.
• Fang Yun completed the first two parts of History of the Ancient Demons three days later.

Fang Yun struggled to forge an Ancient Demon Literary Platform that would bring ancient demon history into the Human Race's Historian Sacred Way, relying on sacred qi in Burial Saint Valley. Meanwhile, Lei Konghe arrived at Sacred Wall Gorge, and the demons guarding it realized he had acquired a powerful Sacred Qi Literary Treasure.

• After completing the second part of History of the Ancient Demons, Fang Yun began forging the Ancient Demon Literary Platform, but his attempts repeatedly failed.
• Fang Yun realized he was expanding the Human Race's Historian Sacred Way with the Ancient Demon Clan's Sacred Way, a feat that required sacred qi and power approaching Sainthood.
• Fang Yun began using sacred qi gathered in Burial Saint Valley to continue forging the Ancient Demon Literary Platform.
• At Sacred Wall Gorge, two Demon Emperors and twelve Great Demon Kings watched Lei Konghe approach and recognized his Literary Grandmaster ability to shrink the earth to an inch.
• The demons moved aside as Lei Konghe entered the gorge, then concluded that his feather fan was a Sacred Qi Literary Treasure and that he had gathered far more sacred qi than they could match.